The Portland daily press., 1887-08-20
The sack Bay commission.

The final refusal of Major Smith to ac-
cept position on the Back Bay Commits
sion loses to the city the services of an officer
whose advice would have been of the great
est usefulness in the course of the projected
Improvements Yet it must be admitted that
the reasons which he gives for this step are
good The Legislature gave to the Commits
sion AN important and arduous task, and no
one doubts that they have approached their
work with a single purpose, and that pur-
pose the public good. Yet as Major Smith
says, the conclusions reached by the Com
mission have been antagonized before and
in the City Council" and he finds the posi-
tion one in which tedious and gratutious
services are likely to meet opposition and
criticism. In an editorial in the PRESS of
July 14th the reasonable position maintain
ed by the Commission was explained. 1t is
proper in this connection to reprint this ex
planation:
AS is generally known, the contract for dredg
ing the ship channel In Back Cove has been let 10
Boston parties who were the lowest bidders. BY
the terms of this contract, which is similar to ali
government contracts for work of this nature, the
material removed is TO be deposited at such place
as the government engineer designates The
usual place OF deposit in our h,i Tor is the deep
water Of Hussey's Sound. To dump the material
there OF course involves large expense for tow
age. When the bids for tile Back Cove work
were put In 1t was understood by he bidders that
large part & o. the me exeayated ma rial could be
proximity TO the channel, and for this reason they
were made much lower than they otherwise would
The lowest bidder for filling the Marginal Way
was another firm, and the contract belonged to
them If they wanted ii. The city government
ordered that any contract entered into with them
should be subject to the approval of the Back
Bay Commission: body Incorporated by the last
Legislature for the special purpose of Supervising
the filling up of the Back Cove fats. The Com
mission Insisted that the Marginal Way con
tractor should use the material dug out by the
used without detriment to the interests If the
former. They did not ask that he receive it on
conditions to be liked by the government
place him in the power or at the mercy
OF the, government contractor. They merely
insisted that he should receive such Of
the dredged materials, as they, who were dis
interested parties as between the two contractors
should direct; Strange TO say the Marginal Way
contractors object to receiving any of the mate
rial on any conditions. They insist that this ma
terial dug out within two hundred feet of the hole
they have contracted to fill and which is rendered
them free OF expense shall be towed several miles
down the harb0r and dumped into Hussey's
Sound, while they provide their own material.
This Is so irrational performance that it seems
incredible that 1t could have happened Never
theless IL has, and the Marginal Way contractors
threaten to throw up the work If they are not al
loweu the Doen OF procuring their own material at
great expense instead of taking it free.
20 tne city Government has been appealed to
20 0S ssalke o9t the provision making the contract
subject 70 Lhe approval of the Back Bay Commits
D si0n we Me why not strike it out ana let the Mar
gina! way contractors furnish their own materialq
For this reason, that TO do SO Would he rross n
lustlce 10 the government contractor Who took
TINS contract on the understanding that a large
part OF the dredged material could he denositsd 81
near by 1t would compel him TO tow every sno,
load down TO Hussey's Sound. Itlwould hTe9T
rtory, and would scare away Contractors for III tb
future and create monopoly in The dredpinS
business in these parts. 1t Is manfestly for thss
interest," OF the city, as well as the general govern
ment, that there should be competition in This
business. Competition is certain to keep the price
down, and with the price kept down the govern
ment is certain to do more work in our Back Cove
than II the price is sent up by monopoly The
City Government at their last meeting wisely re
fused 10 relieve the contract Of this condition
They should stick 10 that decision